Explained In A Minute: Neural Networks

Imagine a Neural Network as a kind of
black box, which takes one or multiple inputs like the sensors of a self-driving
car, processing them into one or multiple outputs like the controls of that car.
The neural network itself consists of many small units called “Neurons”. These
Neurons are grouped into several layers. Units of one layer interact with the Neurons of the next layer through “weighted connections” which really are just connections with a real-valued number attached to them.
A Neuron takes the value of a connected Neuron and multiplies it with their
connection’s weight. The sum of all connected Neurons and the Neuron’s bias
value is then put into a so-called “activation function”, which simply
mathematically transforms the value before it finally can be passed on to
the next Neuron. This way the inputs are propagated through the whole network.
That’s pretty much all the network does but the real deal behind neural networks
is to find the right weights in order to get the right results. This can be done
through a wide range of techniques such as machine learning however that’s a topic for another minute.